Rally Monkey Not Seen As Cubs Hold Off Angels

  Well I went to my last spring training game of the year yesterday (yeah, I can just feel all your sympathy).   That brought the total of games to almost 20, as well as all the workouts I went to.   Not a bad way to kill time during the months of February and March.   Yesterday's game was between the Cubs and Angels, at Tempe Diablo Stadium with the Cubs winning 8-7.   This is the closest stadium to me, so the large majority of my spring training games I went to winded up being the Angels.   Unfortunately I had a moment of stupidity yesterday, and forgot to bring my camera to the game.   I went with some friends, and stole one of the pictures they took, but there is no photo album for the game, this time.

The game featured an epic pitching duel between Jason Marquis and Joe Saunders.   Yeah, ok, I'm joking.    Both pitchers were just as ineffective as I thought they would be, and we winded up seeing plenty of offense instead.   The offense started in the bottom of the 1st, when Vladimir Guerrero hit a monster shot off Marquis, to give the Angels a 1-0 lead.   With all the Angels games I've been to this spring, this was the first time I got to see Vladdy homer, so I was happy.   Saunders looked ok for a couple innings, but wasn't able to hold the lead very long, as the Cubs torched him for 4 runs in the 3rd.   It was not a pretty inning for Saunders, who gave up hit after hit, including RBI singles from Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.   Both Lee and Ramirez had solid games, each player going 3-for-5, with 2 RBIs.   But Saunders ended up staying in the game to get some work in, and lasted through 6, giving up 7 runs (6 earned), on 8 hits.   All in all, not a pretty outing.   Marquis wasn't any better, lasting only 4 1/3 innings, giving up 7 hits and 4 earned runs.   Garret Anderson hit a 2-run home run off Marquis in the bottom of the 4th.   The bullpens were better for both teams.   Bob Howry and Scott Eyre combined for 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the Cubs, while Scot Shields worked around a leadoff double to pitch a scoreless inning for the home team.

As mentioned in my previous entry, I have family visiting today for the next few days, so it's up in the air as to whether I will have another update before my "highly anticipated" predictions on Sunday night.   Somehow, you guys might just have to manage without me until then.   But as always, stay warm!